Pork tenderloin with rosemary and lemon, corn saute with heirloom tomatoes, roasted Yukon Golds, and bittersweet brownies with marionberry ice cream. That's what my friend Sarah made me for dinner last night and it was delicious. Summertime on a plate. Andy was working, so Sarah packed up a to-go version for me to take home to him later (awesome friend, no? Seriously). When he got home, Andy sat on the porch and ate it within seconds, then just held the empty plate out to me with two hands and said, "More."

Sarah has an entire drawer of aqua-blue thrifted dishes. I busted out laughing when I saw it. It's awesome. When she packs a dinner for you to take home to your husband, everything goes into aqua dishes and then onto a little blue-gingham metal tray. It makes you feel very loved.

Thank you for all the pillow love yesterday! Yay pillows! Several people have asked me about which Persephone book is on my bed in the pillow photo, and it was either Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day or Mariana, both given to me by sweet Jane. Those are the only two I have, and I must confess that although I have read them both in the past I just put the book on the bed in the photo because it looked so pretty. Those books are so gorgeous. And they feel good. Smooth and heavy. Must get another. What I am reading is a library book I got yesterday called You Remind Me of Me by Dan Choan. Again, picked more or less randomly off of the shelf; I know nothing about it. I am having trouble picking books lately. Those other five I mentioned a few weeks ago? I started them all and couldn't get into any of them. I hate when that happens. I think it's me, not them. But I must admit that I want a page turner. I want a plot-driven page-turner. I want something I can't put down. Otherwise I just fall asleep the minute I turn on my reading light. And then wake up at 3 a.m. and can't get back to sleep. Grate.

75 comments

Try Grayson by Lynne Cox. It is very short and fast. But I absolutely could not put it down. It is a beautiful book and suspenseful.

I figured out why I love looking at your blog so much. It reminds me of flipping through (reading every word on every page, more like) Victoria magazine. It was discontinued a few years back and I miss it dearly. You blog is a lovely substitute, though!

Have you gone through the Harry Potter series? Seriously. My kids blasted through each one recently, and have seen the movies, so I figured I'd catch up. They are SO good! Especially the last two. Mother of three here, staying up 'til 4am at times to read those books. Okay? That good. :)

Just read 'Sharp Objects' by Gillian Flynn. Well written and definitely a page turner--I did't want to put it down.
Also check out "Dirt Music" by Tim Winton ...brilliant and sad love story (not a romance novel) set in Australia. and now apparently coming to a movie theater in 2010.
One more: "What I Loved" by Siri Hustvedt. Art, love, betrayal and a pscycholigical thriller.

Try Jodi Picoult's best: MY SISTER'S KEEPER. I started it at 10 at night, by 1 I realized I would not finish in one sitting but desperately needed to know what happened so I skimmed for another hour or two. I wept buckets. Two weeks later I picked it up again one morning and read it straight through--and it had the same emotional impact even though I knew what was going to happen. Read it before all the movie reviews etc come out.

If you don't mind reading "young adult" fiction, try the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Similar to the Harry Potter series, but different enough. I think it meets the "page-turner" criteria and it also has some humor. I'm on the 4th book (of 5) and I just started reading them a few weeks ago. (and they have plenty of copies at the Multnomah Co. libraries - holds come in very quickly!)

Ok I'll throw in my 2 cents about the book thing. James Patterson As the Wind blows series. Very much a page turner. And I love the idea about the aqua dishes. I am always having my DFaN try something I have cooked. What a good idea for sending along some cooking love. Did throwing a pillow at the computer work?

I love your friend's dishes! How inspirational!
When I'm looking for books to read, I go to Amazon.com and search for a book that I have already read and enjoyed. They always give suggestions for books in the same genre. My "to read" list of Amazon books is very very long. So far, so good. :)

The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman
A Home At The End of The World - Michael Cunningham
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
The Other Boleyn Girl - Phillipa Gregory
The Beekeepers Apprentice - Laurie R. King

I haven't found much to interest me lately with the books, until I picked up The Good, Good Pig by Sy Montgomery. (We recently got chickens and so I was in the animal section of the library) It's a non-fiction book about a pet pig. You might like it.

The magic apple tree is the account of the authors life in her cottage for 1 year, not fiction but excellent by Susan Hill, she has also written an excellent-scary ghost story called A woman in Black. Tracy Chevalier is also good I liked The lady and the Unicorn (she wrote the girl with the pearl earring-book better than the film) And for a laugh and if you like cats,
Love
Lyn
xxx Deric Logden is funny.

I'm reading "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" and loving it...narrated by a smart (and smart-assed) 11 year old girl it's a fun mystery set in 1950 England. Very easy to get into but hard to put down. My other stand-by for those times when it seems no book will do is to go back to the '50s noir books such as "The Grifters" and "Pick-Up". They'll make you want to put on some red lipstick, wear your hair like Veronica Lake and find an easy mark to con. Delish.

Oh! Try "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton...excellent, suspenseful and romantic read! Or, if you want to travel back in time, you can't beat "Rebecca" by Daphne DuMaurier. A period piece with wonderful, delicious suspense.

My 12 year old son (who HATED reading) got into Harry Potter and zoomed through the entire series. We moved on to the Bartemaeus Triology and now we're on the Golden Compass books. He's nearly finished with the third one but insists on having me read at least a few chapters out loud to him each night. Ham that I am, I love it.

About

My name is Alicia Paulsonand I love to make things. I live with my husband and daughter in Portland, Oregon, and design sewing, embroidery, knitting, and crochet patterns. See more about me at aliciapaulson.com